I represent a constituency for which the railway service is extremely important. There are ten railway stations in the constituency, the highest number in any constituency. There is the Dublin-Rosslare mainline service and the DART service between Dublin city centre and Greystones and recently the local authority adopted a scheme to bring the Luas line to Cherrywood. As a result, there is substantial interest in my constituency both in rail travel and rail safety.
I have mixed feelings about this Bill. I am glad that railway safety is being addressed in the House and that an independent body is being established to oversee it. I wonder, however, if what is being provided for is a convenient mechanism whereby the Minister and the Government can absolve themselves of direct responsibility for the safety of our railway lines, particularly investment in safety measures.
At the end of the explanatory memorandum, we are given the estimated costs of the legislation. We are told it will come to €2 million a year to fund the office of the commission and the appointment of nine staff. That sum will not provide for the safety of our railway lines.
The Bill also sets out the responsibilities of the commission, which will examine and oversee the area of railway safety. Obligations are put on the operators of railway services and lines and there are provisions for the safety of new rolling stock, railway lines and services. I cannot find, however, any obligation on the Minister or Government to improve or invest in the existing railway lines or service. This is of interest to me from a constituency point of view because of my concerns and the concerns of many of my constituents about the safety of the railway line that runs between Dalkey and Shankill, which runs beside the sea, the line between Bray and Greystones and sections of the railway line from there further on, with which I am less familiar, although other Members of the House may be more familiar with it, where I understand there are similar problems.
It is only a couple of weeks ago that the DART services between Bray and Greystones were suspended because of a landslide along the railway line. Last week I had the opportunity to walk along that line. There is a pleasant walk which I often take on a Sunday from Bray Head to Greystones. It is a public walkway which overlooks the railway line between Bray and Greystones. It is a beautiful area and a lovely train journey for people who take it. However, there is serious coastal erosion along that line. There is also a serious problem with landslides on the railway line. Considerable investment must be made to make that line safe.
That is not the only area affected by such problems. A little over a year ago a serious accident was narrowly avoided between Shankill and Dalkey when the driver of an early morning DART train realised that a landslide was occurring overhead on Killiney Hill. I understand from local authority engineers that the cause of that landslide related to developments in the area over the years when water ran off the roads and became embedded in the ground over the railway line. That caused the ground to slip down on to the line.
Some time before that, but within the past two years, the people of the area were greatly surprised one morning when a fleet of JCBs appeared on Killiney beach. There was concern that an invasion was about to take place or that someone was trying to make a film about the Normandy landings on Killiney beach. However, Iarnród Éireann had arranged for emergency works to be carried out because the degree of coastal erosion along the Killiney coast was putting the railway line at risk. I had already brought that issue to the attention of the authorities because of concerns constituents had expressed to me from their knowledge of the area. They saw that the coast line was being seriously eroded and that there was a risk to the railway line. There is a need for substantial investment to protect the Dublin-Rosslare railway line and those sections of the DART line which are at risk both from coastal erosion and from landslides from higher ground.
I am not sure this legislation will deal with that issue. It provides for the establishment of a commission which will make reports on it and for a tribunal if there is an accident. However, what is required to deal with that problem is investment in safety, in coastal protection works and in works to protect the railway line. To achieve that, some measure must be introduced to require the different authorities which are affected to work with each other. At present, coastal protection works are the responsibility of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and the local authorities. Some of the land which overhangs railway lines and adjoins the shoreline is in private ownership, while in other cases, it is the responsibility of the local authorities. There is not any means in the legislation by which the commission can deal with that.
I understand the commission will be empowered to put all types of responsibilities on the operators of the line and to make rules and regulations about the safety of the line. However, in the cases I have cited and about which my constituents have concerns the land which needs to be shored up and dealt with is outside the railway line and is in different ownership from the ownership of Iarnród Éireann. The coastal protection works which are required in the areas between Dalkey and Shankill and between Bray and Greystones are outside the remit both of Iarnród Éireann and of the commission which is being established. I cannot find in the legislation any means by which the Minister can cause the local authority, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources who has responsibility for coastal protection, or private land owners whose land abuts or overhangs the railway line to take measures to ensure the safety of the line.
I would like the Minister to re-examine that because the issue of safety along the Dalkey to Shankill section, the Bray to Greystones section and other sections Deputies may mention is important. These areas cannot wait a long time to be dealt with. There is an urgency to ensure the safety of those lines. The line to which I refer is in increasing use. It is the line for the Dublin-Rosslare service which connects our two main passenger ferry ports, Dún Laoghaire and Rosslare. That means many passengers use the line. It is also the line which serves the DART service to Greystones and it services an increasing amount of commuter traffic from Wicklow, Arklow and Gorey. Increasing numbers of people who cannot afford to buy a house in the Dublin area are moving there. Working middle class people in my constituency are being priced out of living there. They are moving to Arklow and Gorey and using the train to commute. That means a demand for increased services which will put increased pressure on that line and on its safety.
That is one issue of safety I wanted to draw to the Minister's attention. A second issue of safety I want to draw to his attention, as I represent a constituency which has ten railway stations, relates to the safety of the stations and the safety and security of the trains which use them. I refer to the use of the train, particularly the DART service, at night. If a station is not well lit or manned, it is an intimidating place to be at 10.30 p.m. or 11 p.m. Many people who would otherwise be happy to use the DART service are discouraged from doing so because of the unfriendly and unsafe atmosphere they experience in some stations.
I acknowledge – I have said this in the House and to Iarnród Éireann – there have been some improvements, but we have a long way to go. Let us consider the situation of a person getting off at Shankill DART station at 10.30 p.m., with not many passengers on the train, perhaps one or two people waiting on the platform and no staff present. Having to cross the railway bridge and proceed up a ramp to the exit is not a particularly inviting prospect at that time of night. If we want more people to use public transport and to encourage safety, we must first ensure that railway stations are properly lit and staffed, that there is somebody in charge and that people can feel safe at those stations. Concerns have also been expressed to me about safety on the trains.
I will give a few examples of complaints I have received from constituents this week alone in that regard. In an e-mail message, one constituent said:
The reduction in staff and an increase in lawlessness among young people has made CIE less and less able to control behaviour on trains and buses. The result is destruction of public property and growing fear among the travelling public, especially the old and vulnerable. I personally witnessed a young man urinate in sight of all, in the middle of the day, on a Dalkey station platform only a few weeks ago.
In another case, a woman said that on a DART train, she saw a noisy group of brawny youths drinking from beer cans and smoking cigarettes. Nobody in the carriage felt able to confront the offenders, nor should the travelling public be expected to do so when there is the possibility of personal injury.
This is typical of complaints I receive frequently from constituents expressing their sense of a lack of safety on trains and at stations. I have made my point as to what should be done to improve safety at railway stations. I suggest a very simple measure for the Minister's consideration to improve safety on the trains. A freephone number should be advertised within each carriage so that if there is a problem, such as an outbreak of rowdiness on a train, somebody could use his or her mobile phone discreetly to make a call to that number. Staff of the railway company, or the Garda Síochána, could then board the train at the next station to deal with the problem. While I do not consider it necessary to have a strong police presence on trains at all times of day, there are ways of bringing the attention of the appropriate authorities to problems arising in terms of personal safety so that effective action can be taken.
I welcome the Bill in general, in the sense that railway safety is being addressed. However, the establishment of a commission alone will not deal effectively with the real issues of safety which need to be addressed and for which investment is required in relation to physical safety on railway lines. Better management and greater vigilance will be required, as well as greater improvement of railway stations, in order to give a sense of personal safety to the increasing numbers of people using the railway services, particularly the suburban services which I hope to see expanded in the years ahead.